Eight NFL teams opened the 2025 season with back-to-back losses, and history says the math is not on their side. Since the league expanded to a 17-game schedule in 2021, 40 teams have started 0-2. Only eight of them, or 20%, went on to make the playoffs. If that pattern holds this year, only one of the eight winless clubs is likely to see January football.
Here’s how each 0-2 team stacks up.
Los Angeles Chargers
Coach John Harbaugh has never started a season 0-2 in his career, and the current setup gives no indication he has a fix ready. New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel changed quarterback Justin Herbert’s shotgun stance and built a scheme suited for receivers like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle—neither of whom is on the roster. The Chargers also face a difficult stretch over their next seven games.
Houston Texans
Coach DeMeco Ryans has led the Texans to 0-2 starts before, in 2023 and 2024, and both times the team made the playoffs. But this year both losses came at home, the offensive line is struggling, there’s no dynamic playmaker at running back, and a defense that ranked second in points allowed last season currently sits 25th.
Indianapolis Colts
Coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard are under pressure to win now. The Colts have lost nine straight games dating back to last season, and cornerback Sauce Gardner—acquired in November in a trade that sent two first-round picks and a player to the New York Jets—has yet to win a game with Indianapolis on U.S. soil. A loss Sunday against Houston would sharpen questions about both men’s job security.
Miami Dolphins
There’s little sense of alarm here, as the roster reflects choices made by ownership, the front office and coaching staff before the season began. Coach Jeff Hafley said plainly that “success is not gonna be measured in wins and losses.”
Tennessee Titans
With a first-year coaching staff and second-year quarterback Cam Ward, panic isn’t quite the word yet. But owner Amy Adams Strunk has previously moved on from highly touted quarterbacks still on rookie deals and from a coach who lasted under two seasons, so patience is not guaranteed if the losing continues.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders face the toughest situation of any winless team: starting quarterback Jayden Daniels dislocated his elbow and may need surgery that would end his season and the team’s playoff chances with it.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Coach Todd Bowles is known for staying calm under any circumstance. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who signed a large contract and has yet to deliver results to match it, is more prone to visible frustration.
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is set to make his first start of the season Thursday. Getting a presumptive starter back in the lineup is generally viewed as good news rather than cause for alarm—but Atlanta will need him to perform, and the results need to change.
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